The Terminator is a low-budget film with great special effects that were especially exciting for their time. The Terminator himself is made to look real using computer technology. When the film was made, the effects using the Terminator's metal body were some of the most advanced to date. The Terminator is a believable, animated, robotic being even when his hand is detached from his body. Additionally, The Terminator won awards for makeup. The Terminator's, Kyle's, and Sarah's makeup is realistic and plausible, even when attempting to show injuries.

One of the most impressive aspects of The Terminator is that the future scenes actually look as though they could be real; they are extremely easy for contemporary audiences to relate to. Importantly, neither humans not machines are so futuristic as to be implausible. The Los Angeles setting realistically looks like a real city that has...